In The Face Of Mortality

TL Note: the world is sort of China/Korea inspired, any weapons and or items are Asian in nature, something that was left unclarified in the original script.

Editors Note: currently fixing some typos and errors.

"Well isn't this interesting…"

The ringleader looks over towards the guest house, slightly tilting his head towards Mina who has disguised herself as a servant girl.

"Line her up with the rest."

"Yes sir." One of the intruder's quickly responded.

The ringleader stood in front of the gathered hostages, scanning them intently with piercing crimson eyes.

"I'm glad you're safe." Han turns over his shoulder to see Yue giving him a tired smile. 'Since when was she here? No she's a servant in the estate so it makes sense she'd be with the hostages. I must've been too caught up with Mina's safety that I totally blanked on Yue.'

Before Han could say anything, he felt a shift in the air as if a presence had suddenly taken note of him. The ringleader had turned his attention to him. Han could feel a menacing aura emanating from the man.

The ringleader crouched down in front of Han and grabbed his face, pulling it close to his own. Han could clearly see the malice and death behind the man's red eyes.

"What is your name?" the ringleader demanded.

Han didn't falter. "My name is Han, Lou Han."

The ringleader seemed to pause for a moment, studying Han's expression.

Releasing Han's face, the ringleader pulled back slightly.

"Lou Han? You don't have any connection to Lou Ho'ei, do you?"

"He is- ...he was my grandfather," Han replied, his voice steady as if trying not to show any fear.

The ringleader's eyes narrowed. "Interesting. Very interesting."

The leader of the intruders stood back up, straightened his black garb, and adjusted his sword, his eyes scanning the courtyard as he prepared for what was to come.

"All of you are here now," he said, his voice calm and steady. "And that can only mean one of two things: either the princess has fled or she is hiding amongst you, her loyal servants."

The hostages exchanged nervous glances, their hearts pounding with fear.

"But it matters not," the ringleader continued, a sly grin spreading across his face. "For the city guard will soon be upon us, and I am left with no choice but to leave this place. However, I cannot simply leave you all behind, now can I?"

The air grew thick with tension as the intruders drew closer to their captives.

"I will take each and every one of you with me," the ringleader said, his voice cold and menacing. "You will be my insurance against any pursuit, my bargaining chips in case things go awry. And if any of you try to resist, well..."

He trailed off, his hand drifting to the hilt of his sword. The hostages shuddered at the sight, their hopes of escape dwindling with each passing moment.

"Wai- …please wait just a moment!" A male hostage spoke up from the group.

The ringleader turned halfway around, a bit startled by the sudden request. "Yes?"

"You're after the princess right, you think she's hiding with the hostages? …then you have no use for the men don't you?, So why not just let us g?."

The ringleader looked stunned for a moment, he then thought to himself and turned fully back towards the hostages. "Well, I guess I don't need ALL of you."

With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a gleaming knife towards the speaker. The blade whistled through the air and plunged into the man's chest, cutting short his words and his life in an instant.

"I'm well aware some of you know which captive among you is lady Mina Joon and while others may not be aware of her, I don't have the time to discern which is which, not to mention I have no means of confirming any baseless claims. So you are all coming with me."

The other hostages recoiled in horror at the sight, their faces blanched with fear. The ringleader turned to face them, a cruel smile spreading across his lips.

"Let that be a lesson to the rest of you," he spat. "Do not speak out of turn, or you will suffer the same fate."

As the intruder's clad in black cloth garbs rounded up the hostages and guided them away from the estate, Han pressed his hand against his side feeling the scroll that he had hidden from Mina earlier.

The captors led their hostages out of the noble district and into the winding streets of the lower district, a notorious haven for the lawless and the unscrupulous. with the speed and cunning of a pack of wolves on the prowl.

The hostages, helpless and terrified, were forced into the back of a wagon and concealed behind a veil of dark curtains.

The captors wasted no time and hastened their escape from the city, venturing into the open plains beyond the city walls. Eluding the pursuing city guards who responded to the attack at the mansion.

…

The sound of a low grumble echoed within the confines of the hooded carriage, stirring Han from his slumber. "Han...wake up," whispered Yue softly, her voice barely audible above the creaking of the carriage.

Blinking his eyes open, Han's gaze was clouded with exhaustion as he peered up to see the face of his companion. Shifting slightly on his straw bedding, he scanned his surroundings and saw that they were still being led by their captors from earlier.

"How long has it been?" Han muttered, his eyes now more alert as he fixed his disheveled hair.

"Three days," replied Yue, her voice tinged with frustration.

"These bastards are taking us for a ride." Tsun, their fellow captive, sat shirtless at the other end of the carriage with a bandage on his side and his arm which were wounded during his fight with the ringleader. His tattered and destroyed shirt lay forgotten beside him as he leaned against the wooden edge.

Han couldn't help but admire the warrior's physique. "I never really noticed before, but Lord Tsun sure is ripped," he thought to himself.

The air was thick with uncertainty as the captives huddled together in the cramped carriage, their minds racing with fear and confusion. Mina's voice broke through the tense silence, her words lacking any real conviction.

"What are we gonna do?"

Yue's response was sharp and resolute, "We have to figure a way out of here. Right, Han?"

Han was taken aback by Yue's sudden confidence in him, as well as the intensity of Mina's gaze as she too looked to him for guidance.

"Well, shouldn't we at least figure out why they attacked us and who they are?" Han offered, his voice betraying his nerves.

"They attacked the mansion because they wanted to find me" Mina responded flatly.

"But for what? If they wanted to kill you, they wouldn't have taken any of us hostage," Han pointed out.

Mina's face contorted in confusion, and Han felt a flicker of frustration. Even if they knew the motive behind the attack, they still had no idea who their attackers were or what they wanted.

"It's the Dark Clan," Tsun suddenly spoke up, his eyes fixed on the floorboards of the carriage.

"The Dark Clan?" the others echoed in shock.

Tsun nodded grimly, "A vicious clan of cold-blooded killers. To call them a clan isn't even accurate; they're more like a cult."

The realization sent shivers down Han's spine. He had heard whispers of the Dark Clan, but he had never imagined that he would be caught up in their schemes.

"But why would a group like that be after Miss Mina?" Yue asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

"I don't know," Tsun admitted, "I've heard they sometimes rent their services out as mercenaries, so maybe there's another party involved. I only recognized them because of their leader... that sword he has is the famous 'Red Rain'. It's said to be wielded by one of the Dark Clan's elite warriors, Ran Kang."

Han and Mina exchanged a nervous glance, while Yue remained stoic, her mind clearly racing through their limited options.

"Well, that's good to know," Yue finally said, "But it doesn't give us a lot of options right now."

Han and Mina both nodded in agreement. For now, all they could do was wait and hope for a chance to escape the clutches of the Dark Clan.

As they continued their journey, Han couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that lingered in the pit of his stomach. What fate awaited them at the end of this journey, he did not know. But one thing was certain - they needed to escape before it was too late.

As Han considered their chances of escape, the sudden sound of snapping wood jolted him back to reality. The caravan came to an abrupt halt, causing the captives to stir and murmur in confusion.

"What's going on?" one of the house servants asked nervously, breaking the eerie silence that had settled over them.

The footsteps grew closer, sending shivers down Han's spine. He braced himself, ready for whatever lay ahead. Tsun remained stoic, his eyes fixed on the approaching figure.

The curtain to the back of the carriage parted, revealing the black hooded head of the captor's leader. Han's heart skipped a beat as he braced himself for the worst.

"We broke a wheel," the captor's leader announced with a hint of annoyance. "We'll be here for a little bit while they fix it. Lou Han, come with me."

Han's mind raced with questions and doubts. Why did they need him? What was going to happen to him? But he couldn't ignore the feeling of relief that washed over him - this could be his chance to escape.

With a deep breath, Han stepped out of the carriage and followed the captor's leader. Whatever lay ahead, he was ready to face it.

…

As the captor's leader and Han made their way to the back of the caravan, Han stole a glance at the broken wheel. If they were quick, they could make a run for it. This could be their chance to escape.

"Han," the leader's cold voice cut through his thoughts like a sword. Han jumped, shaken from his reverie.

"Yes?" Han replied, trying to hide his unease.

"Let's talk," the leader said, his expression almost friendly.

He removed his mask and hood, revealing his face to Han. "My name is Ran Kang," he said, surprising Han.

"Ran Kang?" Han muttered in disbelief. So Tsun was right but why would the leader reveal his identity? Was he planning to kill him here and now?

Han looked around, noticing that the other intruders had given their leader some privacy.

'Could I possibly strike him on the head with something hard and make a run for it? No, even if I did it's not like I can just leave the others behind…'

'Wait… why can't I? Mina has only ever been a brat to me and, well Tsun literally bought me into labor enslavement.'

But as Han thought of Yue, he realized he couldn't leave her behind. Or the other servants for that matter he may have been bought as a slave (who was really just a bum) but the house servants were nice to him, he couldn't just up and go.

Before too long Han's trailing thoughts had been interrupted by Ran's voice.

"Relax, I'm not going to kill you," Ran said, his tone harsh but reassuring.

"To be honest, I don't really want this many hostages," he continued, sighing in annoyance. "But if I kill one of you, the rest will panic, and that'll only make things harder. I took the women because I'm unsure which one is the princess, but the men were just because I was in a hurry. Lord Tsun was a trophy. And you... well, you're another topic."

Han was taken aback by Ran's honesty. "What do you mean, another topic?" he asked, confused.

"You see, I'm sure you may have already surmised but we are members of the Dark Clan," Ran explained. "I'm sure you've heard the stories. But what you seem not to know is that your grandfather, Lou Ho'ei, was one of us."

Han's mind reeled with this revelation. His grandfather, a member of the Dark Clan? He had always been proud of his grandfather's reputation as a famous warrior, but he had never imagined this.

"My grandfather… a member of the dark clan?" Han muttered.

"DONT GIVE ME THAT SHIT" the thought came to Han's mind but it was accompanied by Ran beating him to a pulp in annoyance so he held back for now.

"Han… I'm telling you this because I have an obligation, to you're grandfather, and by extension… to you. I want you to join us when we arrive at our destination." Ran's words cause shock to ripple through Han's entire body and mind.

"J-join the dark clan, …you're kidding right?" Han replied purely on reflex causing Ran's expression to turn into disappointment.

"I'm offering you a chance at survival here, stay quiet for now, and when we arrive pledge your life to the clan and live as one of us. It's your best chance of making it through all this alive." Ran's hand waved in the air gesturing at his point.

Han stood there in disbelief, staring at Ran Kang as if he were a ghost. Joining the Dark Clan was something Han had never imagined himself doing, let alone being asked to do so. But as he thought about his current situation, he realized that it might just be his only way out.

"I...I don't know what to say," Han stammered, his mind racing with a thousand different thoughts.

*sigh* "I'll let you take some time and think about it, make up your mind soon… Lou Han."

Ran walked passed Han while tapping him on the shoulder, at the same time he gestured for a guard to come over and guide Han back to the other captives.

As Han climbed back into the carriage, the others looked up in surprise.

"Han!, what happened, what did he want." Yue and Mina both asked loudly.

"I-i, don't wanna talk right now." Han walked towards the back and fell onto the straw makeshift bed, a look of grief on his face.

"Han…" Yue understood and gave him some space, sitting back against the wooden side of the carriage.

'My grandfather… a member of the dark clan…" Han pondered Ran's words, they stung like lies but Han somehow knew he was telling the truth.

'I'll just.. go to sleep for now." Han continued, resting his eyes while drifting off.

END OF THE THIRD CHAPTER.